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J.R. Storment

Organizations using Cloud and DevOps face challenges to the traditional way IT has been procured, managed and optimized. Traditional siloes of IT, Finance, and Business are breaking down, and traditional procurement and financial management processes are significantly changed by the cloud. Cloud spend is more dynamic, less predictable, and understanding the vast amount of data on the cloud bill can be daunting. Companies want product teams to be more responsive to customer demand, for DevOps teams to build faster and better, and for costs to be managed tightly. FinOps provides a framework to align these groups within an organization to achieve these results.

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Organizations using Cloud and DevOps face challenges to the traditional way IT has been procured, managed and optimized. Traditional siloes of IT, Finance, and Business are breaking down, and traditional procurement and financial management processes are significantly changed by the cloud. Cloud spend is more dynamic, less predictable, and understanding the vast amount of data on the cloud bill can be daunting. Companies want product teams to be more responsive to customer demand, for DevOps teams to build faster and better, and for costs to be managed tightly. FinOps provides a framework to align these groups within an organization to achieve these results.

The FinOps Foundation was formed in 2019 with the goal of helping practitioners learn from one another and develop new practices, concepts and tools needed to both align the work of internal Cloud stakeholders and manage the dynamic services offered by the hyper-scale Cloud providers.

This course is addressed to a wide audience:

  • IT, DevOps, Engineers or Architects using Cloud to deliver value who want to understand how FinOps can help them integrate cost management as a metric in their environments

  • Finance, Procurement, and Accounting professionals wanting to understand how FinOps can help them negotiate, purchase and manage cash flow for Cloud more effectively

  • Business unit or Product Managers delivering product value with Cloud who want to understand how FinOps can help them innovate more, manage Cloud cost proactively and deliver value to customers quicker

  • Executives and Managers overseeing environments that depend upon Cloud who want to understand how FinOps can help them build a culture of accountability that leverages Cloud for its strengths while aligning everyone to manage its cost and use.

This introductory course describes the basics of FinOps and how it can positively impact an organization. FinOps allows organizations to build a culture of accountability around Cloud use that lets companies make good, timely, data-backed decisions in the Cloud, not just to save money, but to make money.

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What's inside

Learning objectives

  • The impacts devops and cloud have had on how it costs are managed
  • What finops is and how it can address some of these impacts
  • The principles of finops which guide its practice in an organization
  • The considerations that go into forming a finops team within an organization
  • The scope of the capabilities a finops team would perform to achieve the cloud use goals of the organization
  • How the finops foundation can help practitioners, cloud users, finance professionals, devops engineers and product managers to work with others around the world to learn best practices and support one another

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Provides a framework for managing cloud-based costs in a comprehensive manner
Covers principles and practices of cloud financial optimization
Taught by instructors with significant experience in cloud finance management
Introduces the FinOps Foundation, a widely recognized organization in the field
Suitable for a wide audience, including IT professionals, finance professionals, and product managers
Requires no prior knowledge of FinOps, making it accessible to beginners

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Introduction to FinOps with these activities:
Review DevOps and Cloud Cost Management Principles
Review fundamental concepts in DevOps and cloud cost management to strengthen your understanding of FinOps principles.
Browse courses on DevOps
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  • Identify key DevOps and cloud cost management concepts.
  • Summarize the benefits and challenges of integrating DevOps and cloud cost management.
Review Cloud Computing: A Practical Approach
Reviewing this introductory text will improve foundational understanding of cloud computing.
Show steps
  • Read through Chapter 1: Introduction to Cloud Computing
  • Review the key concepts and definitions introduced in the chapter
  • Summarize the benefits and challenges of cloud computing
Follow a tutorial on AWS cost optimization
Completing a guided tutorial will provide practical experience in implementing FinOps techniques on a specific cloud platform.
Show steps
  • Identify a tutorial that aligns with your learning objectives
  • Follow the tutorial step-by-step
  • Review the concepts and techniques presented in the tutorial
Two other activities
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Write a blog post on FinOps best practices
Writing a blog post will reinforce your understanding of FinOps principles and help you apply them to real-world scenarios.
Browse courses on FinOps
Show steps
  • Identify a specific FinOps best practice to focus on
  • Research and gather information on the best practice
  • Write a detailed blog post outlining the best practice, its benefits, and how to implement it
  • Proofread and edit your post before publishing it
Develop a FinOps dashboard for your organization
Creating a FinOps dashboard will allow you to track and analyze cloud costs, identify cost-saving opportunities, and make informed decisions.
Show steps
  • Gather data from your cloud provider(s)
  • Choose a visualization tool and create a dashboard
  • Set up alerts and notifications to monitor cost trends

Career center

Learners who complete Introduction to FinOps will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Cloud Cost Analyst
Cloud Cost Analysts combine their expertise in accounting and cloud computing to help organizations understand their cloud spending and develop strategies for cost optimization. This course can help individuals develop the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to succeed in this role, including an understanding of FinOps principles and practices, cloud cost management tools, and financial reporting.
Cloud Architect
Given the rising popularity of cloud computing, Cloud Architects are in high demand. This course can help individuals develop the skills and knowledge needed to become a certified FinOps professional, which can give them an edge in the competitive field of Cloud Architecture.
DevOps Engineer
DevOps Engineers are responsible for bridging the gap between development and operations teams, ensuring that software is developed and deployed quickly and efficiently. By understanding FinOps principles, DevOps Engineers can gain a better understanding of the financial implications of their decisions and make more informed trade-offs between cost and performance.
IT Manager
IT Managers oversee the planning, implementation, and maintenance of an organization's IT systems. This course can help IT Managers develop the skills and knowledge needed to optimize cloud costs, improve resource utilization, and ensure compliance with financial regulations.
Finance Manager
Finance Managers are responsible for managing the financial resources of an organization. This course can help Finance Managers develop a deeper understanding of cloud computing and its financial implications, enabling them to make more informed decisions about cloud investments and negotiate better contracts with cloud providers.
Product Manager
Product Managers are responsible for defining and managing the roadmap for a product. By understanding the financial implications of their decisions, Product Managers can make better trade-offs between features and costs, and ensure that the product is profitable.
Software Engineer
Software Engineers design, develop, and maintain software applications. This course can help Software Engineers develop a better understanding of the financial implications of their code, enabling them to make more informed decisions about resource utilization and performance.
Data Analyst
Data Analysts collect, analyze, and interpret data to help organizations make better decisions. This course can help Data Analysts develop the skills and knowledge needed to analyze cloud usage data, identify cost optimization opportunities, and make data-driven recommendations.
Technical Architect
Technical Architects design and implement the technical architecture for an organization's IT systems. This course can help Technical Architects develop a better understanding of the financial implications of their decisions, enabling them to make more informed trade-offs between cost and performance.
IT Auditor
IT Auditors are responsible for auditing an organization's IT systems and processes to ensure compliance with laws and regulations. This course can help IT Auditors develop the skills and knowledge needed to audit cloud computing environments and ensure that organizations are using cloud resources efficiently and securely.
Business Analyst
Business Analysts analyze business needs and processes to identify opportunities for improvement. This course can help Business Analysts develop a better understanding of the financial implications of technology decisions, enabling them to make more informed recommendations to business leaders.
Project Manager
Project Managers are responsible for planning, executing, and closing projects. This course can help Project Managers develop the skills and knowledge needed to manage cloud computing projects, including budgeting, scheduling, and risk management.
Cloud Security Engineer
Cloud Security Engineers are responsible for securing cloud computing environments. This course can help Cloud Security Engineers develop a better understanding of the financial implications of security decisions, enabling them to make more informed trade-offs between security and cost.
Cloud Developer
Cloud Developers design and develop cloud-based applications. This course can help Cloud Developers develop a better understanding of the financial implications of their code, enabling them to make more informed decisions about resource utilization and performance.
Cloud Administrator
Cloud Administrators are responsible for managing cloud computing environments. This course can help Cloud Administrators develop the skills and knowledge needed to manage cloud resources efficiently and securely, including cost optimization and performance monitoring.

Reading list

We've selected eight books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Introduction to FinOps.
Introduces value stream mapping techniques, which can be helpful in understanding the impact of FinOps on the organization's value stream.
Offers an introduction to data science and analytics, which are becoming increasingly important in FinOps for understanding and interpreting cloud usage data.
Classic guide to DevOps. It provides a comprehensive overview of the DevOps philosophy and best practices.
Comprehensive guide to cloud computing. It covers a wide range of topics, including cloud architecture, cloud services, and cloud security.

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